


Shrapnel of the Heart

by Sugachii (Sunflowersamurai)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Criminal Minds Setting, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Detectives, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Hate to Love, Investigations, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Trauma, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-10-08 19:34:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunflowersamurai/pseuds/Sugachii
Summary: A detective/Criminal Minds AU!One year after the murder of Sasuke Uchiha, a strange note appears on the desk of behavioral analyst Shisui Uchiha's desk detailing unreleased elements of the murder. Shortly thereafer, the estranged brother of Sasuke strolls in among the departments new recruits, and he and Shisui must reconcile their past, and learn to open their hearts to one another once more in order to catch the man responsible for the murder of Sasuke.





	1. Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> This fic may have mild-severe depictions of violence, blood and gore and may have mention of other triggers as well! All triggers will be tagged at the beginning of each chapter!

One year.

It had been one year since the murder of Uchiha Sasuke in his own home. Found lying posed on the floor, a single gunshot wound in his chest, right through his heart, his nails had been painted, and a single lock of hair had been cut using one of Mikoto's kitchen knives.

 

It was Itachi, his beloved brother, who found him.

 

Now, Shisui sat idly at his desk, swirling his drink languidly with one hand, while the other panned over the newest case files. He was the head of the behavioral analyst team, and part of his job was sorting new cases. A quiet knock at his door drew his attention, and Minato Namikaze, the director of their department, stepped in.

“Hey, Shisui! You got a couple letters addressed to you in the department box,” Minato gave him a friendly smile as he handed him the small stack on envelopes. He was famous for his disarming nature. He seemed kind, gentle, friendly, even delicate. But Shisui, along with everyone else in the department, knew that when it came to hitting a target from 100 meters away, nobody had eyes as sharp as Minato. Nor did they have his lightning reflexes. Minato could draw a gun and fire it right into his target faster than the target could blink.

 

And yet, here he was, sweet smile, Hello Kitty coffee mug, and heart patterned pajamas from head to toe.

 

Shisui gave him a grateful nod as he took the envelopes from him, “Thank you. I’m guessing from that get up that you’re here all night?” Shisui eyed him up and down as he spoke.

Minato laughed good humoredly, “I, uh, guess you could say that yeah,” more seriously he continued, “I may be here all night, but you should’ve been gone an hour ago. Is something on your mind?”

Shisui didn’t answer him immediately, he swirled his drink for a moment, his gaze going somewhere far away. Minato didn’t rush him, he quietly sat in a chair across from Shisui and patiently waited.

…

“A year…”

Minato looked up at him, understanding gracing his face and his expression turned solemn, “It’s been a year already huh?”

Shisui looked up now, meeting his gaze, “A year today…”

…

A long moment of silence had passed between the two of them before Minato quietly rose to his feet and walked over to Shisui. He sat on the desk, resting a hand gently on Shisui’s shoulder as he spoke, “It’s a solemn day indeed. But staying here staring blankly at that screen is going to do nothing but fry your brain. You should go home and try to get some rest. Even if you can’t sleep, just try laying down for a while.”

The gentleness in Minato’s voice coaxed Shisui towards the idea and he sighed, “I guess you’re right. I’m gonna look through all this tomorrow then, sound good?” he vaguely gestured to the pile of envelopes.

“Mm sounds fine to me,” Minato nodded slightly, taking a sip of what Shisui guessed was probably hot chocolate from his ridiculously cute mug, “Oh, and if you want to come in later tomorrow, I’ll understand. And if you happen to fall ill with the 24-hour cold, I won’t complain to anyone about you calling in a sick day.”

Shisui appreciated that. Minato knew that Shisui was reliving that awful day. This, December 13, being the one year mark of the unsolved murder.

…

After he bade farewell to Minato, he scooped up his coat and tossed it lazily over his shoulder. The winter cold was biting, and it gripped his bones as he stepped out of the office.

But Shisui hardly noticed.

The wind tossed his soft curls around and made his nose run. It brought with it the distinct smell of rain. The night was alive with the wind, trees rustling loudly, their branches dancing in front of the orange glowing street lamps that lined the deserted stone roads. The moon was hidden behind a heavy overcast. Stray trash and other items cut loose by the gales drifted across his path now and again, but Shisui’s watery eyes stared ahead, looking at something far, far away.

 

A memory only he could see.

 

As he made his way up the winding slate grey path towards his house, the first almost freezing raindrops began to sprinkle his strong shoulders, turning his white button up shirt translucent and gradually revealing the skin beneath. His face was whipped by the gusts that carried the rain, and for the briefest of moments, Shisui felt another presence not too far behind. He turned, peering into the darkness as the rain began falling harder. But as he peered down the cobbled road, all he could see was the steadily increasing rain and a poor stray huddled beneath a shopfront awning.

 

And he knew, he was alone. He was always alone.

 

…

 

He shoved his way into the office unceremoniously the next morning. He hadn’t slept, rather, he’d lain awake in his bed imagining what it might feel like to be calling Sasuke’s family to tell them they caught the person responsible for the murder of the 18-year-old. But he knew that call would not be made. Not today, and maybe not ever.

Subduing his mutinous thoughts, Shisui found his way to the break room, hoping to pour himself some coffee to see him through the day. He had to suppress a laugh at the sight of Minato, fast asleep on the couch, one hand tucked in his waistband while the other rested on his chest. Shisui noticed too, that even his snores were soft and easy on the ears.

 _Kushina, you’ve got yourself a real winner with this one,_ Shisui thought amusedly to himself as he pulled a cup from the stand.

As he watched the coffee pour slowly into his mug, feeling the calescence through his hands as he held it, he was startled by a hand on his shoulder.

Nearly spilling the hot coffee, he turned to see Minato standing over him, leaning his weight on the hand that Shisui was well aware had been the one down his pants just a moment before, “’Morning Shisui. Glad to see you were feeling up to coming in after all.”

Minato gave a massive stretch and a wide yawn as Shisui replied, “Good morning. Looks like you slept well?”

“Eh.”

“ ** _Eh_**?”

Minato snorted, “I’m not really awake yet, okay? Kushina doesn’t let me stay up like this at home and she always cooks a nice breakfast with some tea for me when I wake up.”

Shisui stared incredulously at him, “What are you, a royal prince?”

Minato laughed, “A royal prince? Working **_here_**? I wish! But no, Kushina just takes really good care of me.”

Shisui sipped his freshly poured coffee, his lips still on the cup as he replied, “I’ll say. How old’s your son now?”

Minato let out a fond sigh, “He’s 19 now. He’s working hard towards a degree and we’re saving a ton having him at home. And it’s not like Kushina minds, I don’t think she was ready for him to leave the nest yet,” Minato broke off with a laugh.

But Shisui’s thoughts had trailed elsewhere while he spoke.

 _19… The age Sasuke would’ve been…_ _The age he **should** have been…_

Shisui realized Minato was watching him intently, “Sorry, that’s not exactly nice of me to zone you out while you’re answering my question is it?”

Minato gave him a gentle look, “It’s all right. It’s early, and you’re probably still tired.” Shisui knew he was just being nice, explaining away the uncharacteristic haze hanging over Shisui, but he was grateful for it anyway.

Minato gave the taut muscles in Shisui’s shoulder a firm, but relaxing squeeze as he turned away, “I’m headed home to get some sleep, I’ll be back for a short while in the evening to check in on everyone, unless I’m called in and told otherwise. As usual, you’re in charge while I’m out.” Shisui was nodding along vacantly when he added, “Oh, and there’s some new recruits coming in today, get them situated will you?”

“Sure thing, Minato, I-“ he broke off suddenly, “Wait, what did you say about new recruits?”

But Minato was already out the door, giving Shisui a languid wave as he went.

Shisui groaned inwardly. Normally he loved working with the new recruits. Teaching them things filled him with a great sense of accomplishment. But today, he was in no mood to be doing much of anything, let alone weeding out who was serious, and who was there just to sling their gun around.

 

Eventually, Shisui sighed as he headed for the meeting room where new eyes would be watching his every move for the rest of the day, _let’s get this over with._

But as Shisui entered the room with a casual greeting, he froze. There was only one recruit, and his gaze was piercing Shisui, seeming to pin him to the wall while it raked over him like a set of bear claws. Shisui was stunned, nearly dropping his coffee cup, his mouth hanging open as it stopped mid-sentence.

 

Staring back at him was Itachi Uchiha, who’s hatred for him was no secret.

 

Shisui managed to close his mouth finally as Itachi glowered unblinking at him.

_Well… **shit.**_


	2. By Any Means Necessary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief mention of blood/violence

Itachi felt incredulous as he glared at the ragged man who’d just entered the room. His hair was still damp and unruly from a shower, and he’d missed a button on his shirt while his sleek black jacket was thrown haphazardly over the broad of his shoulders. He gripped a black coffee mug that still had steam rising from it, and his other hand was still holding the door handle. He was staring wide eyed at Itachi, freezing mid-sentence, and his mouth hung open for a few moments too long.

 

But that wasn’t what threw Itachi off.

 

 _It’s… Shisui._ Frustration began to worm it’s way into Itachi’s heart. _Of all the people to handle orientation… why’d it have to be him?_

Itachi shoved down the anger threatening to build in him, but he could feel his own icy demeanor as Shisui recovered himself. It was obvious that Shisui remembered him too.

 

Shisui eventually cleared his throat, “Good morning, my name’s Shisui and I’m handling your orientation today.”

Itachi took a long pause, waiting until he could see Shisui shift his weight from one foot to the other before answering, “Good morning.”

 

Shisui didn’t look too thrilled either as he showed him around, but he took his time in explaining everything thoroughly and he seemed to recover from his unpleasant surprise rather quickly.

 

Around lunch time, Shisui had concluded the tour of the building, outlining which places a newbie like Itachi was allowed to go, which places were strictly off limits, and which places he should only go if he had a real emergency. He pulled out a paper and led Itachi to a vacant office room on the second level.

 

Itachi watched carefully as Shisui pulled another paper from a manila envelope, scanning it carefully. About halfway down, he’d begun to bite on his thumb, and Itachi knew why.

 

“You’re joining the behavioral analysis unit?”

 

Itachi met his gaze, and was surprised to see an equal challenge there this time, _He’s gotten over his surprise from this morning._ Shisui watched him unwavering until Itachi finally replied, “Yes, I am. Is there a problem with that?”

Itachi was caught off guard as Shisui gave a cynical huff, “You’re joking right?” Shisui squared off with him and Itachi was a bit taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor.

 

He wasn’t surprised anymore, he was pissed off.

 

Itachi measured his words carefully, “My father worked for the department for a long time before he retired. I’m not joining to-“

Shisui took a step forward suddenly, cutting him off, “That’s bullshit and you know it. I know what your father did for the department, don’t forget it was **my** grandfather who mentored him.”

Itachi stared back, put off by the anger in Shisui’s voice, “Of course I know that. I haven’t forgotten how much time we spent together as children.” Anger was rising in Itachi’s chest now, _I’ve never forgotten that._ He continued in spite of himself, “But it’s now, not then. And I’m here to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

 

“No, you’re here because you think _you_ can catch Sasuke’s murderer when the whole of the department couldn’t. You’re just here to mock us. To mock **_me._** ”

 

An intense flash of rage washed over Itachi, and he had to steady himself against it. _How dare he say that to me… it’s his fault for being so damn incompetent…_

 

But Shisui didn’t give him time to respond, he was already halfway out the door when he shot over his shoulder, “Set up your things and do whatever you want. But don’t forget, I am your boss, and you will do what I tell you to when I tell you to, do you understand that?”

Itachi ground his teeth, but he knew what Shisui said was true, he _was_ his boss now whether Itachi liked it or not, “I understand.”

_Sasuke… I’ll do whatever it takes to find the person who murdered you. Even if I have to listen to him while I do it._

 

…

 

Itachi had set what few things he had in the new office room and was finishing moving the last of the furniture around when there was a knock at the door. A moment later Shisui pushed his way in the room back first. Itachi watched him carefully as he came in carrying two orders of food and two drinks.

“You don’t have to glare at me like that, I brought you lunch as a peace offering.”

Itachi snorted, “ _Peace_ _offering_?”

Shisui paused, shooting him a look as he balanced the food and drinks, “Fine. It’s an apology. Happy now?” He set the food on the desk, not waiting to see if Itachi was doing the same, he began rustling through one of the bags and pulled out a dainty red box, “I don’t really know what you like, but the others wanted Chinese food and since Minato is out until this evening, I had to go get it. I just got you what I got so I hope that’s okay.”

Itachi fished through the other bag until he found one of the small red boxes. The smell made his stomach growl as he broke a pair of chopsticks and opened the container.

 _Orange chicken and steamed rice…_ Itachi didn’t want to say it out loud, but it was his favorite order. He liked the sweetness of the orange chicken, and the rice was, well rice. He couldn’t imagine _not_ liking rice. He picked up a straw and one of the drinks, tasting it curiously. _Peach green tea._ He sighed a tiny sigh, _So we get the same order, huh?_

 

After a while of eating in silence, Shisui let out a quiet sigh, “I owe you more of an apology than just the meal. I shouldn’t have mouthed off to you like that earlier. It’s just been a long, rough night and my nerves were shot before I even got here this morning.”

A growl rose in Itachi’s throat at the realization that Shisui thought he wouldn’t know **_exactly_** what day today was, but he forced it down, “You don’t need to apologize. I didn’t intend to make friends with you in the first place.”

Itachi caught a flash of irritation in Shisui’s eyes, but he simply replied, “Well, you don’t have to be my friend. You don’t even have to like me. But I need to know that when I tell you something, you will do it. And when I tell you **not** to do something, you won’t go all vigilante and do it anyway. Trust is the foundation of what we do, and if I can’t trust you, and if you can’t trust me, then there’s no point in you being here. Do you understand that?”

Itachi was getting mildly frustrated with the way Shisui was talking to him as if he were a child, but he figured neither of them had been exactly mature today, “I do understand that, Shisui.”

 

But something squirmed in Itachi, _But I **don’t** trust Shisui… _

He kept the thought to himself as they finished eating.

 

…

 

That evening, Shisui called him and the rest of the unit down to the first level. As Itachi headed down, he caught sight of a tall, lean man with rich blonde hair and the most striking crystal blue eyes he’d ever seen. As though he could feel Itachi’s stare, he turned towards him and gave him a friendly smile, “Hi! You must be the new recruit for the BA unit?”

Itachi dipped his head politely, a little surprised by how friendly he was, “Yes, my name’s Itachi. It’s nice to meet you.”

As Itachi shook his hand he gave an amicable hum, “The pleasure’s all mine, Itachi. I hope you’ll find your footing quickly.”

His word choice bothered Itachi, though Itachi wasn’t sure why, _Find my footing?_

But he didn’t have much time to mull it over, as Shisui sidled up to him, speaking quietly in his ear, “That’s Minato Namikaze, you probably already know who he is, but he’s the head of the entire department. He’s not too strict about formalities and the likes, but he demands absolute adherence to the rules, okay? He’s a nice guy, but don’t go getting on his bad side.”

Itachi didn’t need Shisui to tell him this, Minato had taken over as head of the department after his own father had retired early. He knew who Minato was.

He gave Shisui a nod of acknowledgement, and returned his attention to Minato while he spoke, “I’m sure most of you have seen him around already, assuming Shisui did his job,” Minato gave Shisui a teasing wink as he continued, “But this is Itachi, he’s our new addition to the BA unit as of today. I hope you’ll all be kind and welcoming to him.”

As the other members of the BA unit swarmed him to share their formal greetings, Itachi became aware of Shisui slinking behind the small crowd, heading straight for Minato. He was pointedly aware of the way Shisui placed his hand on Minato’s shoulder, turning their faces away so Itachi couldn’t see or hear what they were saying.

 

But whatever they discussed, neither of them brought it up to Itachi.

 

…

 

Itachi listened mildly absent to a lecture by Shisui that evening. Shisui had warned him, it was long and extremely boring, but he needed to go over it anyway. And he had absolutely been right about it being long and boring.

 

When he’d finished, Shisui gazed around the room for a moment, “You don’t have much stuff, huh?”

Itachi glanced at him from where he was scanning through a preexisting book shelf, looking for anything that might interest him, “Is that strange?”

Shisui hummed for a moment, “Not really. I guess most of us started with clean offices like this.”

Itachi was still only half paying attention, “What changes your minds?”

Shisui took a long time replying, long enough that he drew Itachi’s attention, “The work changes our minds.”

Itachi tipped his head slightly, “What do you mean?”

Shisui met his gaze, “The stuff we see, the side of humanity we deal with. It’s ugly, and it’s not something you can’t move past overnight. So we find little ways to cope. Take Yugao for example, her office is filled with bean bag toys and stuffed animals. People would tease her for it, but she finds comfort in cute soft things like that.”

Itachi thought for a moment, “What about you? What’s your thing?”

Shisui gestured for him to follow, so he did. Shisui opened the door to his office and held it for Itachi, inviting him in. Itachi was a bit surprised by the sheer number of pictures Shisui had pinned on the walls.

“Who are they?”

Shisui had plucked one free and was running his thumbs delicately along the white border of the photo. He turned, handing it to Itachi as he spoke, “They’re the photos of everyone I’ve helped save. All the happy endings. That one there, he was missing for nearly a month after his parents were found murdered. Local police failed to alert us that there was a missing child, something to do with a family feud. When we finally caught wind of it, we were sure he’d be dead or long, long gone. We worked the case anyway, and one day I got lucky and stumbled upon a big piece of evidence the local police had missed,” cynically, he added, “Missed to destroy, that is. They spent the whole time obstructing us. But we found one hint, and one led to the next, and we caught up with the boy and his abductor in an abandoned homestead. And we got him out of there.”

Itachi listened, more intent than he had been until now, “What was his name?”

“Kimimaro. He writes to me now and again. I have a few shoe boxes full of his letters at home.”

“And how is he now?”

Shisui thought for a moment, “What he went through is something he’ll live with for the rest of his life. But he’s doing about as good as anyone could hope for. He’s older now, and he’s been going to therapy. He found a foster family, and they have a kid named Jugo who he seems to have taken a real liking to. From what he tells me, they help each other a lot.”

Itachi was wrapped up in thinking about what Shisui had told him when Shisui’s gaze flickered to a pile of envelopes still on his desk, “Shit.”

Itachi carefully pinned the photo back in it’s place and stole a glance over his shoulder at Shisui, “What’s wrong?”

Shisui picked up the stack, thumbing through them, “I was supposed to fish through these this morning but I forgot about them,” he broke off and furrowed his brows as he pulled one particular envelope out, Itachi could tell it was a letter, “What’s this I wonder?”

Itachi tipped his head, “I thought you said you got letters fairly often?”

Shisui still looked puzzled as he used his fingernail to open the envelope, “Yeah but they always have a return address on em. This one’s just got ‘Shisui’ on it which means-“

Itachi finished for him, “It wasn’t mailed, It was hand delivered?”

Shisui gave him an approving nod as he slipped the letter out, “That’s right. Sharp thinking, Itachi.”

Itachi didn’t want to admit it even to himself, but he was warmed ever so slightly by Shisui’s praise.

 

The atmosphere in the room that had begun to feel casual, even familiar, changed sharply. Itachi watched Shisui eyed the letter, and he could see the color drain from his face. There was a slight tremble in Shisui’s hands, and he’d begun to sweat, “Shisui? What’s wrong?”

Shisui didn’t answer him. He shoved past him and out the door, headed straight for Minato’s office. Itachi was left bewildered, standing in his office. He debated whether or not to follow Shisui, but before he could decide, he caught sight of Minato storming out of his office with Shisui on his heel.

 

Itachi felt his throat tighten at the fury in Minato’s blue gaze as the office door flew open.

 

Shisui shut the door behind them, his gaze a flurry of intense emotions that Itachi couldn’t make out from one another. Minato had shoved everything else aside and turned to face them, “Sit down.”

There was such authority, such command, in his voice that Itachi could hardly believe this was the same man he’d seen earlier. Both he and Shisui complied, sitting next to each other across from Minato, who’s eyes scanned the letter, the fury in them only building.

Minato looked up suddenly at Itachi, his blue eyes penetrating, stabbing into him, and looking right through him as he spoke, “Do you know **_anything_** about this?”

Itachi was startled and confused, “N-No. I was in here talking to Shisui when he opened it. He stormed out before I could ask him.”

 

Minato stared him down for what felt like forever. Itachi was helpless but to hold his gaze, and he was faintly aware of Shisui watching him too.

 

Eventually, Minato blinked, letting out a sigh as he did so, “Would you like to see it? Or should I tell you what it is?”

Itachi was confused and before he could answer, Shisui cut in, “Minato, I don’t think that’s a good idea. He-“

Minato silenced him with a severe look, “He can make that decision for himself.”

But Shisui was only deterred for a moment, “He doesn’t need to see it, just tell him what it is.”

Shisui’s protests had only made Itachi’s mind up further, and when Minato paid no further regard to Shisui, Itachi reached out and took the letter. He was painfully aware of the grave look on Minato’s face as he did so.

 

…

 

Itachi felt cold. So very, very cold.

 

Itachi had assumed it was a letter, but it wasn’t. Carefully folded in the card were photos. Photos of his younger brother, bleeding to death on the floor of their living room, clutching his chest where a single bullet hole had pierced him, ending his life. And what was more, tapped to the top of the card, a single lock of jet-black hair. And Itachi knew it was Sasuke’s hair.

 

He was aware that his hands were shaking, aware of the two men’s gazes fixed on him, aware of the ticking of the clock on the wall, aware of the hum of the heater, aware of the drip of water in the water tank.

 

He must’ve been still for a long time, because a gentle touch on his shoulder stirred him, and he turned his bleak gaze to see Shisui looking at him, “Itachi?”

Itachi thought his voice sounded far away. He didn’t know what to say, or what to do, or what to think or feel. Instinctively, he stood up. But he was immediately overcome by an intense bout of vertigo. The room felt dark, and it spun so quickly around him the he lurched on his feet, steadied only by Minato who had stood up to catch him. Something in the back of his mind drove him to reach for the small waste basket at the foot of the desk, and he picked it up only a moment before he threw up into it. Minato walked him backwards gently until he felt his sturdy hands holding him against the wall. He was lowered slowly until he was sitting in a slightly reclined position. He could faintly hear Minato directing Shisui, “Get him some water to rinse his mouth and then some to drink. Wet a couple paper towels from the bathroom and wring them out so they’re damp. And take out that trash bag too, I don’t want the smell making him feel sicker.” Minato turned to Itachi, though Itachi was scarcely aware that he was there, “This is why we tell people to sit down before we deliver news to them.”

 

After a while, Itachi’s senses came back to him. Minato had opened a window, and the cold, fresh air was helping clear his head. He felt weak, and sick. Sick like he had the flu. He didn’t throw up again, but all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep.

 

Minato was leaning silently in a window sill, gazing out into the now dark sky. Shisui sat near him, but stayed quiet, only speaking to ask Itachi if he wanted more water or anything else he might need.

 

Itachi felt the change in himself suddenly, and he pushed himself to his feet once more. Shisui steadied him on his right side, concern lacing his gaze, “I don’t think you should get up yet.”

But Itachi shook him off, “I’m fine.” He steadied himself against the lingering dizziness and crossed the room to stand before Minato. He saw Minato’s gaze flicker, and was aware he was watching him through the reflection in the window, so he spoke, “What are you going to do about this?”

 

Minato was quiet for a long while, but Itachi could see his gaze still fixed on him through the reflection. He could hear the clock ticking away the time while Minato thought, and just when he thought he’d scream from the frustration of waiting, Minato spoke, “You’re going to find them. And you’re going to bring them down.” There was a frozen anger at the last part. **_Bring them down._**

Itachi’s head was still buzzing when he realized what Minato meant, “You’re putting me on the case?”

Shisui was staring in disbelief at Minato, “You… Can you do that? He hasn’t been here for a day and that’s his brother… Is this really the right thing to do?”

Itachi wanted to round on him and beat him senseless, but Minato beat him to it, finally turning to face them, “I understand Shisui. You’re worried about him, about what this will do to him. And you’re worried that putting a new recruit on such a heavy case will ruin him in ways that are unfixable. I admire your empathy, Shisui, it’s why I trust you so much. It’s why you’re so good at what you do,” Itachi froze, listening to Minato’s words, “But this is my decision. We can’t ignore this provocation, and Itachi is on your team now. You two will lead this case. Shisui, your say is final, but I want you to utilize all that Itachi can offer to the fullest extent.”

Itachi felt stunned, _He’s worried… about me?_

Shisui was still for a long moment, his eyes troubled. Finally, he answered, “I understand, Minato. Itachi and I will lead this case, and we **_will_** take them down,” he paused for a heartbeat before adding,

 

“ ** _By any means necessary_**.”


	3. The Investigation Begins

Shisui let out a heavy sigh as he shuffled the last few papers on his desk into a pile, slipping a paperclip on them before sliding them into the top drawer of his deep red oak desk. Itachi had been sitting in utter silence since their talk with Minato. Shisui watched him for a moment as he just sat there, his back to the wall, slightly reclined. His eyes were closed, but Shisui could see the tension in the muscles across his shoulders, and could tell by the rise and fall of his chest that he wasn’t asleep. His heart had felt heavy since Itachi’s fit earlier, he was such a level headed, cool person and to see him break down like he had left Shisui hurting for him. His earlier misgivings about Itachi were forgotten now as he crossed the room, swiping his jacket off the back of his chair where he’d flung it down earlier, He hovered over Itachi for a moment, feeling a bit awkward about what he intended to do. He eventually gave in, leaning over, he laid his jacket across Itachi’s shoulders.

Itachi’s eyes fluttered open at the disturbance, and Shisui wasn’t really sure how to explain the complete flip his attitude towards Itachi had done, “I thought you might be getting cold, and I’m just about done here, so before we go outside I wanted to give you… my, uh, jacket, just in case, you know?” Shisui groaned inwardly, _the hell am I even saying? That sentence didn’t even stay on the same thought!_

But if Itachi noticed the blunder, he was too exhausted to care, “I appreciate it.”

 

Shisui sighed again, after Itachi’s breakdown, he’d tried insisting that he should drive Itachi home. Shisui didn’t think he looked like he was in any shape to be driving, but Itachi had argued vehemently against the idea at first. Minato had eventually stepped in and agreed with Shisui that after feeling dizzy, Itachi probably shouldn’t drive himself home, which filled Shisui with both apprehension and relief. On one hand, he could make sure Itachi didn’t pass out while driving. _Or drive himself off a cliff in his upset!_ Shisui added silently to himself. But on the other hand, he might have to face Itachi’s parents, **Sasuke’s** parents, and explain what had happened. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. He was more than happy to leave that task to Minato.

Shisui looked down at Itachi, who was staring vacantly at a pin Shisui had on his coat, “Are you about ready to go home?”

Itachi didn’t respond, just heaved himself off the floor with one hand, while the other worked itself into one of the jacket sleeves. Shisui was well aware of the way Itachi’s legs trembled when he stood up, and that there was a lot of stiffness in the way he moved as he slipped his other arm down a sleeve. _But can I blame him?_

Shisui led the way down from the second level towards the door. He gave Minato, who had stayed longer than he’d planned in light of the pictures they’d received, a quick farewell as he passed him. Itachi followed, giving Minato only a strained nod as he passed, but Minato clearly didn’t hold that against him.

Shisui pushed his way out the front door, holding it for Itachi as they left. The night air was very cold, and it was only getting colder as the wind picked up. Shisui was glad he’d given his coat to Itachi, even if it meant he’d be freezing until they reached his car, which he’d parked rather far out in the lot that morning, having wanted to take his time walking into work. _Huh, go figure that’d come to bite me in the ass._ Itachi was following him silently, but Shisui was relieved to see he seemed steady on his feet now.

 

By the time they reached his car, Shisui could feel his teeth chattering violently, though he stuck his tongue between them so that Itachi wouldn’t hear them. He opened the passenger door for Itachi before climbing in the drivers side himself. The first thing he did as the car started up was turn on the seat warmers. He angled the heating vents down and away from the both of them while the fan was still blowing cold air. Once the engine had warmed up, he readjusted them again, mindful not to have them blowing right into Itachi’s face. He used Itachi’s long, beautiful black hair as a reference, watching where the air was stirring it to see exactly where the vents were angled.

As he pulled out of the parking lot, Itachi finally spoke, “Don’t you need directions?”

Shisui had hoped he wouldn’t have noticed, “Actually I still remember the way. I drove there a lot working the case when it first came up.”

Shisui hoped his word choice wouldn’t upset Itachi again, but Itachi just closed his eyes once more, “All right. If you get lost let me know.”

Shisui thought Itachi sounded so uncharacteristically defeated as he spoke, and he almost wished Itachi would’ve snapped at him. _At least that would feel more like the Itachi I know._

 

…

 

Their car ride was long, smooth, and silent, without even the radio playing. As Shisui pulled up the driveway towards the house, he was bombarded by the memories of when he’d first come here after receiving the call. This place felt so dark, the air so heavy that Shisui could barely breathe in it. And he could only imagine what Itachi must feel coming home every day.

He reached over to wake Itachi, but he noticed Itachi was already up, staring out the window, and oddly not moving to get out.

“Are you feeling okay?” Shisui knew it might be a foolish question to ask him right now, but he didn’t really know what else to say.

Itachi heaved a heavy, broken sigh, “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Shisui knew that was a lie, rather, a cover up for what was really weighing him down, “Would you like me to walk you inside?” when Itachi shot him a defensive look, he continued, “To make sure you don’t get dizzy again?”

Itachi didn’t exactly agree, but he didn’t protest either as Shisui opened the passenger door and waited for him to get out.

 

As soon as the two began up the walkway, Shisui felt his gut twist and he felt nausea threaten to rise in him. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, bracing against the idea of returning to the one place he never, ever, wanted to see again. _If Itachi can come back here every single day, then I can suck it up and walk him inside._

When they reached the wooden steps leading up to the patio, Shisui instinctively extended his arm to help Itachi up, before inwardly slapping himself at the gesture. _For God’s sake he’s not a damn dandelion that’s gonna blow away if you don’t hold his hand through everything!_

But to Shisui’s surprise, Itachi took hold of his arm and used it to steady himself as he climbed the stairs, and it only asserted Shisui’s worries about him further, “You’re sure you’re feeling okay?”

Itachi’s eyes were bleary and his words sounded almost slurred as he replied, “I’m fine.”

Shisui decided to stay with him, in spite of his anxiety, until he was safely in the care of his parents. His hands felt numb and his knees trembled as Itachi led the way inside. He felt sick, even now that all traces of what had occurred here were long gone, the memories still haunted him. In addition to that, he had a wretched feeling about seeing Fugaku and Mikoto again, bracing to receive the same hostility from them as he had from Itachi.

It was Mikoto who came into the front room first, immediately noticing how pale her son looked, “Itachi! Are you okay? What Happened?”

Her gaze flicked between the two men, and before Shisui could fumble for a reply, Itachi spoke up, “I’m fine. I just got sick earlier. Shisui drove me home.”

Mikoto’s gaze seemed to scan him from head to toe, and he flinched preparing himself for the hatred and blame he thought she must feel. But she gave no indicator, “That was kind of you, thank you Shisui.”

As Shisui released a shuddering sigh, he noticed for the first time that Fugaku was standing in the shadows of the hall way, watching the scene unfold. Shisui had a vivid memory of him. Fugaku had, for many years, paid far more attention to Itachi than he had to Sasuke. When Sasuke was in his teens, he’d begun to push back hard against his father for never giving him half the attention and affection that Itachi had received. Itachi had done everything he could and more to fill that gap in Sasuke’s heart, giving him all the love and praise in the world. As a result, the two had grown inseparably close.

When Sasuke died, Fugaku had been utterly destroyed. Shisui could clearly remember how broken Fugaku had been, blaming himself, and in such agony that he would never be able to make things right with the son whom he loved just as dearly as Itachi. He had retired in shambles, and Minato had stepped up in his place.

And even now, Shisui could see he was nothing but a shell of his former self, once so strong and charismatic, now withered away and defeated. Their eyes met, and Shisui could see no ill will in them, only their bleak, hollow depths.

 

Shisui knew then that he had never recovered, and he probably never would.

 

A new determination stirred in Shisui’s heart, _I promise you, Fugaku, this time we **will** succeed. Maybe then you can begin to heal._

 

…

 

Shisui trudged into work the next morning feeling more exhausted than he could ever remember. He’d had another miserable night, full of worries about Itachi and about the case. The pictures he’d seen were stuck in his mind, and he’d found he couldn’t close his eyes without seeing them flash through his thoughts. He’d despaired at the sound of his alarm that morning.

But he was here now, and today they’d begin reviewing the case. Shisui moved sluggishly up the steps to the second level and headed for Minato’s office. He knocked on the door and was promptly invited in by Minato.

Minato was rubbing his eyes as Shisui came in, yawning widely a moment later. Shisui could see he was feeling the stress too, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and how pale he looked compared to his usual rich and radiant complexion.

“’Mornin’ Shisui,” Minato greeted him between yawns.

Shisui found himself yawning in response, “’Morning”

Minato didn’t need to hear what Shisui was there for, he was already shuffling about in a drawer. A moment later he pulled out a manila envelope and a file, sliding it over his desk as an invitation for Shisui to take it, “I stayed overnight to get that together for you. Fortunately the case isn’t all that old yet, so everything was still lying around here somewhere or another,” he took a brief pause before going on, “Has Itachi come in yet?”

Shisui was immensely grateful that Minato had made such an effort to get everything together, but apprehension was gripping Shisui’s gut, “No he hasn’t. And he didn’t look too good last night either.”

Minato gave him a friendly, but weary smile, “He’ll come, he’s just running a bit late is all.”

Shisui could only hope he was right as he gave his thanks and headed for his own office. He didn’t want to begin reviewing without Itachi, though, admittedly, he didn’t really want to review **with** him either considering how upset he’d been the day before. He set the files down on his desk and slumped down into his office chair. Folding his arms on his desk, he laid his head on them and let himself close his eyes.

 

He must have drifted off, because he awoke with a start to someone’s hand shaking him gently. He shot upright, painfully aware of the drool on his sleeve and smudged on his lip, becoming only more painfully self-conscious when he realized it was Itachi who’d disturbed him.

_Shit._

“Minato told me to come find you,” Itachi’s gaze flicked over him as he spoke, and Shisui had to fight back a blush.

“You couldn’t have knocked?” he grumbled back at him.

Itachi was still looking him over, “I did. You didn’t answer.”

Shisui cleared his throat, not wanting to defend himself more than he had to, “Well you’re here now. So… If you’re ready, do you wanna start going over the case?”

Shisui was more awake now, and he was pleased to see Itachi looking much better today. The color had returned to his face, his posture had straightened up again, and he looked steady on his feet once more as he replied, “Now’s as good as ever.”

Taking a deep breath to prepare himself while Itachi pulled up a chair, Shisui began going over all the details they knew about Sasuke’s murder.

 

…

 

There was a very long, extremely uncomfortable silence once Shisui had finished reviewing with Itachi. Shisui still didn’t agree with Minato’s decision to put Itachi on the case. It seemed cruel and he wasn’t sure Itachi would be able to keep his sanity working this case.

Now the minutes ticked by in painful silence. Shisui didn’t want to rush Itachi to speak his mind, but he couldn’t stand sitting there for much longer either. Shisui tried not to show his anxiety, Itachi had joined the behavioral analysis unit after all, and Shisui was sure Itachi would notice even the smallest hint about the discomfort he was feeling.

A dripping sound caught his attention in the dead silent room, and Shisui was grateful to finally have thought of an excuse to do **something,** “Would you like some water?”

Itachi didn’t reply for a moment, and Shisui wondered if he’d even heard the question. But after a while, he finally looked up at Shisui, “There’s one person you didn’t interview thoroughly enough.”

Shisui froze for a moment. His instinct was to lecture Itachi about allowing any predetermined biases he might have had to interfere with his judgement.

_No. I should hear him out first._

To Itachi, he went on, “Who was it? And what makes you think that?”

Itachi turned the file he’d been scanning towards Shisui, pointing with a finger, which Shisui noticed was neatly filed and even manicured, to a name, “Deidara. I knew of him as a classmate of Sasuke’s. He’s a trouble beacon.”

Shisui felt doubt rise in him, “Itachi, we can’t go on whims or past issues. We need something concrete before we go accusing someone of murder.”

Shisui had expecting Itachi to be angry, but he simply shook his head, “That’s not what I meant. Deidara’s involved with a lot of bad people, and he had a vendetta against my brother and I. I don’t think he has the guts to do this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew more than he told you the first time, especially since he lied about having known my brother and I at all. As far as I can tell, that’s the only thing we have to go on right now, unless you’ve got a better idea?”

Shisui pondered his words for a moment, slightly miffed by his passive aggressive tone, “Well… I don’t mind talking to him again, but you’ll have to sell Minato on it.”

To Shisui’s surprise, Itachi stood up immediately, “I’ll be right back then.”

 

…

 

Shisui began pulling up whatever information he could find on Deidara while he waited for Itachi to return. He found an extensive record including mostly petty crimes, vandalism in the form of graffiti being particular common. But one charge stood out to Shisui.

_Arson?_

Shisui opened the report and began skimming through it. The fire had started at an after party attended largely by wealthy people. It had caused millions in damage, and two people had died when they became disoriented and trapped within the burning mansion. Shisui was mortified at the fact he hadn’t been convicted. As he read on, he found reports that the police had mishandled evidence, and been caught planting additional evidence to try and tie Deidara to the fire.

_Damned idiots… They could have easily convicted him with what they had. Why in the world would they do something so stupid?_

As a result, the case had been thrown out. And Deidara was still free.

 

Itachi had returned quicker than expected, and Shisui prepared to console him, feeling certain Minato would have told him it was too soon to go pointing fingers.

But Itachi didn’t need consoling, “He agreed. We’re supposed to go and speak with him as soon as we locate him.”

Shisui gaped at him, “How’d you convince Minato?”

Itachi spoke matter of factly, “I pointed out that we have nothing else to go on, and enough time has been wasted sitting around and staring at the same old files waiting for a lead to magically appear.”

Shisui grumbled inwardly, _you’re just gonna be an absolute **joy** to work with, huh Itachi?_

 

 

Shisui sighed, “All right. Let’s go find Deidara.”


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Briefly mentioned trauma

Two weeks had passed since Itachi had persuaded Minato to further pursue Deidara as a potential lead. Minato had worked tirelessly gathering the resources and putting a team together to track Deidara down. And now, at last, the team had found him. He was using an alias and leading what appeared to be a normal life now that the charges had been dropped against him. He was about Itachi’s age, a few years older than Sasuke.

 

Itachi had been anxious all morning, and he hadn’t even bothered sleeping. Now he buttoned the long, black, double breasted coat, tightly fastening the belt around his waist. The coat was slender around the waist, but flared over the hips and the shoulders were padded. Coupled with the well shined, platformed shoes, the uniform could make any wearer look especially imposing. He straightened his tie one last time before heading out the door in the predawn light.

 

…

 

Itachi was mildly surprised to see Shisui already waiting for him. And surprised more still when he noticed that Shisui’s coffee mug had no steam rising from it. He’d been waiting for some time already.

“Were you here all night?” Itachi eyed the mug while he spoke.

“Not all night. Only since about 4 or so,” Shisui gave the mug a swirl as though he could read Itachi’s mind.

“When do we leave?”

“Soon as the valet pulls the car around and hands us the keys,” Shisui took a final gulp from his mug before setting on his desk.

 

The two stood in silence while they waited for the unmarked vehicle to arrive. Itachi couldn’t help but shift his weight from one foot to the other while he waited, but Shisui stood in absolute stillness, his eyes never straying from the direction of the front door even though they couldn’t see it from where they stood.

Eventually he pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against, “The valet is here.”

Before Itachi could ask how he knew, Shisui was already headed out the office door and down the steps, _it’s like he’s more anxious than I am…_

He followed Shisui to the first level, and just as he’d said, the valet was waiting for them with the key. The two grabbed the last of the paperwork they needed before heading out to the black SUV that was parked immediately in front of the building.

“You wanna drive or should I?” Shisui’s question took him by surprise.

“I’ll drive there, you drive back?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Itachi unlocked the car and climbed in. He noticed a heavy air of distraction about Shisui. He seemed startled when Itachi had asked him for the directions, and didn’t even answer when Itachi had asked him if he wanted to stop for food. Three hours one way, Shisui hadn’t spoken a single word to him. Itachi had stolen quick glances throughout the drive, but Shisui’s eyes remained fixed on the scenery passing by outside the window.

 

...

 

Eventually, the miserably quiet and painfully long drive came to an end. They stepped out to a small shopfront adorned with numerous small and brightly colored sculptures. Some were clay, some glass, and a few of alabaster stone. But Itachi noticed that every one of them were animals.

Itachi had turned to point this out to Shisui, but Shisui’s eyes were already panning attentively over the statues, “No people. Specifically, no human faces.”

Itachi looked over the statues again, “Why’s that important?”

Shisui turned one statue over in his palm, “Whoever made these is avoiding human faces. Well, avoiding human _emotions._ By not sculpting people he doesn’t have to humanize what he makes. He’s using art to dissociate from reality and it’s a classic example of avoidance behavior. Individuals have to allocate more cognitive resources when decoding and processing emotional faces and by sculpting only animals he doesn’t have to give them that sense of personality and emotion he can keep them neutral and effectively avoid dealing with emotions. Probably both his and others.”

Itachi was stunned, and he realized for the first time that Shisui wasn’t distracted, he was focused, “I hadn’t thought of that yet.”

Shisui mulled for a moment, humming to himself, “We’re dealing with someone who suffered something traumatic when they were younger. Now they’re trying to shut all of that down. We can use that.”

Itachi met Shisui’s eyes for the first time, “How should we use it?”

Shisui thought for a moment, “You’re gonna use it. You’re gonna bring up what he’s repressed and he’s either gonna break and slip up, or he’s gonna completely snap, go for your throat and try to kill you but,” Shisui tapped the holster on his belt, “that’s why I’m here right?”

Itachi stared at him, “Why me?”

“I promise I won’t let him get too close to you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Itachi gave him a defensive look. In truth, he was nervous about the idea of Deidara grabbing something and stabbing him with it, he knew Deidara would absolutely do that given the chance. But he didn’t want Shisui to know he was afraid, “I’m wondering specifically, why me? What do we gain?”

Shisui eyed him in a way that was a little too transparent, and Itachi got a feeling he knew already that Itachi was scared, “Well, you said Deidara hated you right? And you said you didn’t really know why. That means, given my theory about what I’m presuming is his work out here, you most likely have some kind of resemblance, be it how you look or even something as small as the way you walk, to someone he resents. Probably whoever was also the result of his trauma. Going off that, he’s going to be much more responsive to you than he will be to me.”

Itachi shifted his weight, a giveaway of his nervousness that he caught too late, “That’s a lot of assumptions…”

Shisui nodded, “Yes it is. They’re more like educated guesses though, and that’s what we do.”

Itachi sighed, getting a wrap on his nerves, “All right, let’s go.”

 

…

 

The interior of the shop was crowded with sculptures, and Itachi noticed that once more there was a total lack of human figures. There was a flash of movement from the back corner of the store and a woman who looked about their age stepped out, “Hey, I’ll be right with you!”

She seemed bubbly, she had short black hair and her hands were covered in paint. She began to wash them when Shisui spoke, “We’re actually here to talk to Deidara. Is he in?”

She snorted in laughter, “Really?” For a moment she paused, but something flashed in her eyes, “You know his name, huh?”

They exchanged a quick glance, “Is that surprising?”

She shrugged, “Well he doesn’t get a lot of visitors. He’s a bit of an ass but we’ve been friends for a long time so we get on all right. But knowing his name, that’s unusual.”

Itachi gave Shisui a more intent look, “How’d you meet?”

As bubbly as she seemed, she wasn’t unaware that something was off, “We met in preschool. Lived down the street from each other and we’d play out on a cul-de-sac with a couple other kids when we were young,” she looked up directly at them now, “Why are you asking this?”

Shisui stepped forward, flashing his badge, “I’ll explain. But could you get Deidara out here first?”

She eyed them for a moment, but she eventually turned into the back room. Itachi could hear a muffled exchange, but couldn’t make out what was said. He turned to Shisui, “If you’re talking to her, that means you’re leaving me alone to talk to Deidara huh?”

Shisui gave him an apologetic look, “Sorry. But she might be some help,” he gave Itachi a long look, “Will you be okay? I never met Deidara, if you think he’s seriously dangerous we can do them one by one together.”

Itachi hated to admit that he wanted to do that. He hated to admit it enough that he shook his head, “I’ll be fine. I can handle him if he gets aggressive. Just make sure to bring him somewhere he can’t grab anything dangerous right?”

Shisui gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement as the woman reentered the room followed promptly by a short man with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He eyed Shisui a bit curiously, but the instant he recognized Itachi his demeanor changed abruptly, “Oh hell no.”

Itachi swiftly flashed his badge, “You don’t really get a say in that.”

Deidara froze, completely stiff for a moment, “Oh yeah? You smug ass bastard-“

Deidara shoved Shisui, who was closest to him, suddenly and as hard as he could. Shisui stumbled, obviously caught off guard. Itachi shot his hands out, grabbing Shisui’s shoulders as he stumbled back, and threw his weight sideways. Shisui let out an “Oof” as his weight was thrown around and his feet slipped, sending him crashing into the woman, who caught him with surprising ease.

Itachi lunged forward as Deidara tried to run for the door. Deidara had one hand on the handle when Itachi grabbed him around the waist. With a heave he lifted him off the ground and threw him to the right, landing with the full of his weight on top of him. He could hear the breath driven from Deidara’s body, and he quickly grabbed his hands and pinned him down, resting his weight on Deidara’s sternum until he could hear his breathing become labored. Deidara kicked in frustration for a while before he could no longer get enough oxygen and eventually, he stilled.

Itachi looked up to see the look of shock on Shisui’s face as the woman peeked around his shoulders to glare at Deidara, “You dumbass what’s wrong with you?”

Deidara glared back, and under Itachi’s greater weight, he gasped out, “I don’t have to talk to this shithead.”

The woman laughed, “God, you’re insufferable you know that? I hope he pistol whips your ass!”

Shisui looked dumbfounded, “I uh, wow. I didn’t know you were that strong.”

Itachi ignored him, though his heart fluttered to think he’d impressed Shisui. He glared down at Deidara who met his gaze unflinching, “I just want to talk to you.”

Deidara didn’t even blink, “Go fuck yourself.”

Itachi squeezed his wrists harder, “Would you rather me do what your friend suggested?”

Shisui had shuffled over to them now, resting his hand on Itachi’s shoulder as a signal that it was okay to let Deidara up. Itachi reluctantly got off him, and Deidara indignantly hauled himself up before walking back towards the counter and pacing.

Shisui leaned close to Itachi, turning them slightly away and whispering so quietly Itachi could barely hear, “I know the dudes like, what, 5’3? But I can’t believe you just chucked him over like that. I think you’ll be fine talking to him alone, yeah?”

Itachi gave him a sidelong glance, “Sure. You just don’t wanna deal with him.”

 

…

 

Itachi stood squared off with Deidara for a long while. As they stood staring at each other, Itachi found he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or say to get Deidara to break and talk to him. Deidara watched him balefully and without blinking. _That doesn’t make sense… he shouldn’t be looking at me so directly if what Shisui said was true. And if it’s not true then what am I supposed to do to break him?_

 

As he wondered in silence, something Shisui said came back to him, _emotional faces…_

He figured it was worth a try, “You ready to talk?”

Deidara scoffed at him, “About what?” he seemed to think for a moment, but his antagonistic nature took over, “Talk about your corpse of a brother?”

Itachi’s gut reaction was to keep his face steady and not respond, but he went against it. He scowled malevolently at Deidara, “We could. Or we could talk about your fried and electrocuted corpse of a father. How about that?”

Deidara reacted visibly this time. His gaze flickered away, and he became obviously disturbed, and unable to look at Itachi now that he was scowling at him, “Don’t bring him up to me. You’re the one who needs to talk right? So talk.”

Itachi had hooked him, “When you were questioned the first time you lied about knowing us. Why?”

Deidara’s gaze flicked back, but only for a moment, “Why not? It’s not like we’re painting each other’s nails and sharing secrets. Right?”

Itachi noticed that Deidara’s nails were actually painted, “That doesn’t matter. You know more than you told them. And now you’re going to tell me.”

Deidara shifted, “Or what asshole? I haven’t done anything that you can use against me.”

Itachi blinked. Deidara was nervous and vulnerable, “You’re right. Except I know about all about your father,” he took a long pace directly towards Deidara, who took a step back until he was pressing his back to the wall, “And unless you’d like me to walk you through what he did step-by-step in complete detail, you’re gonna tell me what you purposefully withheld.”

Deidara paced in an agitated circle, “God… why won’t you just leave him out of this huh?”

Itachi shifted, putting his hands into his coat pockets he gave Deidara a mocking smile, “Well… it’s no secret that these things are genetic. You’re probably just like him. In fact, you already are and you know it.”

Deidara froze, but he ground his teeth audibly before shuddering, “Don’t you… **_ever_** compare me to him like that. I am nothing like him.”

Deidara was fidgeting, and obviously feeling distressed. Itachi mellowed his demeanor, “What makes you so sure?”

Deidara finally spun around to face him. He pushed off from the wall until he was pressed up to Itachi. His eyes blazed furiously, “How am I so sure?” his voice was shaking and cracked with anger, “Because he was sick. He was sick and a coward. He made me clean up after him. Made his 10-year-old son light the ignition in the retort he worked at. He’d make me scatter the ashes on the flowers out front because he cared more about his fucking roses than he did about his child or his wife or anyone else.” Itachi could see the rage building in Deidara in the way he was shaking, “I’ll tell you again don’t you ever compare me to him!”

As he finished his sentence he broke off and with sudden vigor he swung at Itachi. He clipped Itachi’s jaw, but Itachi had jerked back and avoided the worst of it. Deidara swung again, but Itachi blocked the wide swing with ease. Deidara grunted with frustration and threw his weight forward into Itachi. But Itachi was heavier. He grabbed Deidara and swung him to the side, but Deidara was braced for it this time, and he shot his leg out to stabilize himself.

Itachi wrapped his arm and swiftly twisted it around Deidara’s until he locked him in a hold. He threw both of their weights to the opposite side and this time they went down. Itachi jutted his elbow into Deidara’s ribs as he dropped himself down.

Itachi noticed Deidara didn’t fight this time. Instead he had turned his head away, pressing his face to the floor. Itachi could see tears beginning to fall from his tightly shut eyes, “I’m gonna ask you again… What were you lying about?”

Deidara was quiet for a long moment, his jaw clenched tightly shut. Eventually, he grunted out, “Get the hell off me and maybe I’ll tell you.”

Itachi let him up once more. Deidara got up much more slowly this time, rolling first onto his hands and knees before he pushed himself to his feet. Itachi waited until he’d calmed himself down, “You ready?”

Deidara kept his eyes fixed somewhere far away, “What do you want to know?”

Itachi eyed him, “First, why you’re helping me.”

Deidara still wouldn’t look his way, “Hell if I know… Maybe I’m just sick of it all…”

“Sick of what?”

Deidara shifted, taking a long pause before continuing, “You look like him, you know.”

Itachi watched his body language, but he looked completely defeated, “Like your father?”

Deidara sighed, “Why do you think I bleached my hair?”

Itachi took a couple steps back towards a wall, opening some space between them, “Is that why you’re helping me?”

Deidara glanced for a heartbeat in Itachi’s direction, but he didn’t look to his eyes, “Aren’t you wasting your time asking this?”

Itachi shrugged, “Probably. So then, what do you know about my brother? Specifically, in the weeks leading up to his murder?”

Deidara shifted slowly, “You really wanna know? ‘Cause my understanding is you didn’t know a thing about who Sasuke really is.”

Itachi squinted at him, “What do you mean by that?”

Deidara’s eyes ran over a shelf with some his unpainted sculptures, “Sasuke wasn’t some goody goody. You wanna know how I got off without charge? Between you and me of course,” when Itachi just watched him he went on, “I asked for a favor. A favor from someone I believe your brother was very well acquainted with.”

Itachi knew he shouldn’t give signs of his increasing anxiety, but he couldn’t hide the way he clenched and unclenched his jaw, “Who was it?”

Deidara paced around for a moment before replying, “I don’t know,” Itachi opened his mouth to reply, but Deidara cut him off, “I never got his name. Never even saw his face actually, I was blindfolded.”

Itachi’s mouth felt dry, “Blindfolded?”

Deidara turned so that he was facing completely away from Itachi, and Itachi thought he looked fragile, “Take your best guess what my favor was. What else does a 17-year-old facing charges for murder have to offer someone with a lot of money and power who can persuade cops to forget something like this ever happened with the snap of his fingers?”

Itachi wasn’t sure what to say, but he followed Deidara’s implication, “I’m not here to judge you or what happened. Your case is closed and has been for a long time. But if you never saw this man, how did you make a deal with him? And what makes you think my brother knew him?”

Deidara, who’d been pacing again, finally found somewhere to sit, “Well, about your brother, I saw him when I went to where I was supposed to pay my part of the deal. And before you ask, yes, I’m sure it was him. We even exchanged a few choice words. As for your second question, I want a deal with you.”

Itachi looked him over, “Name your terms first.”

Deidara was still looking everywhere but at Itachi, “I’ll give you all the names and info you want, but you have to give me some kind of promise that I’ll be safe when the shit hits the fan and I promise if you pursue this, it will.”

Itachi was surprised, he didn’t know exactly what he’d expected, but it wasn’t that, “I can make that deal.”

Deidara sighed again, “I can give you a first name and a description. The name’s Orochimaru. He’s a weird dude, totally addicted to opioids. He’ll do anything to get them. So he works close with this guy in exchange for a lot of things. He gets the dirty work done and never gets charged.”

A thought crossed Itachi’s mind, from what Deidara described, it sounded like a police chief. Or someone even higher, “How did you contact him for the deal in the first place?”

Deidara smirked a bit, “I’m no stranger to that world. It ain’t the first time I met him. And it wasn’t Sasuke’s either. Far as I understood, Sasuke solicited Orochimaru on more than one occasion. I can’t get you much more info than that, but even just that much is enough to get me killed if the wrong person finds out I’m talking to you.”

Itachi still wasn’t convinced, “If that’s true, then why are you helping me?”

For the first time, Deidara looked back up at him, “I just want out. I told you I’m tired of it. I thought I was fine, having moved here and changing my name and all. But I don’t think it’ll ever be enough until that man’s gone.”

Itachi thought over what he said, “Do you know where I can find Orochimaru? An address?”

Deidara shook his head, “No, sorry. We don’t deal with addresses. Just locations. You’ll have to do that on your own, I’m not up for setting up some meeting.”

Itachi sighed, but he knew he’d gotten a lot already, “All right. Thank you.”

Deidara blocked his way out the door, “And your end of the deal?”

Itachi met his eyes again, “I’ll see it done.”

Deidara just nodded silently at him, but Itachi could see he was nervous.

 

…

 

He met Shisui out in the lobby of the store, where he was chatting casually with the woman, even seeming relaxed enough to be drinking a glass of water as he did so. But his eyes were still flicking around, and Itachi recognized the sharpness in them. If the woman knew anything, Shisui had gotten it out of her.

Shisui flicked his gaze up towards Itachi as he took a final drink from the glass of water. His gaze delivered a wordless message, and the two excused themselves. Deidara never reemerged from the back room.

 

The two stood outside the shop for a moment. Shisui was watching him carefully, and Itachi had the feeling he was aware of the fact he’d learned something rather unfavorable. He still didn’t know what to think. He didn’t want to believe Deidara. Didn’t want to believe Sasuke had been involved with anyone he’d mentioned. It made him feel sick to think of it, so he took the initiative, “Did you learn anything?”

Shisui’s eyes narrowed as he looked at him, “Nothing we didn’t already know, unfortunately. But you found something by the looks of it.”

Itachi still didn’t want to talk, but as he thought of a way to stall, Shisui stepped into his space. Unable to avoid him without gaining more of Shisui’s suspicion, he began explaining everything he heard.

Shisui eyed him in silence while he spoke, but was acutely aware of the slight changes in his eyes as he considered what he was being told. Irritation began to grow in Itachi’s gut, Shisui shouldn’t even be considering what Deidara said. It couldn’t be true, and Shisui would know that if he’d cared about Sasuke at all. Itachi stopped himself, drawing a deep breath to calm himself as Shisui finally replied, “That’s gotta be hard to hear… What do you think of it?”

Itachi paced angrily, shooting a couple glances at Shisui as he did. He didn’t know what to say, only that his anger was mounting. Shisui didn’t rush him, but patience didn’t help, “What do I make of it? Why are you even asking me?”

Shisui still watched him intently, “You don’t believe him?”

Itachi cleared his throat to keep himself from releasing his frustration, “Of course not. I can’t believe you do.”

Shisui looked almost nonchalant as he replied, “I didn’t say I did. But you’re seething right now, and I think that’s clouding your judgement.”

Itachi audibly ground his teeth, “Then why don’t we think it over on the way back?”

Shisui stared at him for a heartbeat longer before he nodded, “All right. I’ll drive, and we should probably find a hotel for the night.”

Truthfully, Itachi wanted nothing more than to go home and forget about everything. But he knew that was impossible. No matter what he did, he could never really shut his mind down.

 

Instead, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He didn’t pay any attention to where Shisui was going, he didn’t really care. They drove for what he guessed was about and hour before Shisui found his way to a hotel. It looked nice, though all Itachi cared about was laying down. His legs were cramped and his joints popped when he stood up.

One room and two beds later, they began settling in. Itachi had developed a violent case of the hiccups, and he’d expected Shisui to laugh at him for it. But they only seemed to make Shisui more worried, much to Itachi’s annoyance.

 

Neither of them had brought a change of clothes. And it seemed neither of them felt like going and buying something to sleep in. Itachi was too exhausted mentally to care, so he stripped down to his boxers and buried himself in the blankets. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, but at least he could ignore the world while he lie there.

 

But he was aware of one thing. Shisui had turned a desk lamp on, and Itachi could hear the scratching of a pen and the turning of papers well into the night. And as he lie there listening to the diligence of Shisui’s work, he felt his earlier anger slowly begin to melt. No more than a minute of silence would go by before Shisui would be back to work. _He really is working as hard as he can…_ The sounds became rhythmic and soothing to Itachi, and he soon found himself fading into sleep.

But just before he slipped into darkness, a thought occurred to him, _maybe I **should** trust Shisui…_


	5. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus! I've been busy with university and it took a long time to update!

Shisui scribbled vigorously on his notepad. He didn’t want to distress Itachi further by confiding in him what he was thinking. He could hear Itachi rustling in his hotel blanket cocoon, and though he eventually stilled, Shisui guessed he was only lightly dozing. For a moment, Shisui wondered how his mind could be two places at once and still be so sharp. He knew he needed to focus on his writing, but his mind wouldn’t wander from Itachi for more than a few moments at a time. He tried to tell himself not to worry, but he found it was no use. He knew eventually he would need to explain everything to Itachi, no matter how hard it would be to hear.

 

But more than anything, he ached to think that it would drive another wedge between them, that it would once again destroy the relationship that was very slowly beginning to mend.

 

He’d written page after page in an almost frantic manner when his thoughts finally overwhelmed him and he rocked his chair back with a sigh. He flipped mindlessly through his pages for a while before he heard a shuffling sound from Itachi. He looked over his shoulder just enough to see Itachi sit up and grab his clothes off the chair by his bed. He minded his privacy while he redressed and looked back at his papers while he spoke, “Not planning to go back to sleep?”

 

He could hear Itachi grunt a reply as he gave a huge stretch. He’d haphazardly redressed, only one button of his shirt was fastened. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples, “I’m going to the lobby to get some aspirin.”

 Shisui watched him leave, feeling the absence of him in the room before the door even clicked shut. He shuffled the papers around so that the ones full of his theorizing were tucked in a sealed manila envelope. He didn’t want Itachi reading those yet, and certainly not by accident. He felt guilty, hiding his suspicions from his partner and even more so hiding it from Itachi.

 

If what Deidara said was true, then it would mean that Sasuke’s murder was most likely revenge. Shisui had to wonder… maybe Sasuke had owed someone money. Shisui had commissioned a favor, and found that money had been wired from Fugaku’s account repeatedly. There was no way to tell who had received the money, but Shisui couldn’t shake the very sick feeling that Sasuke was very much involved in something very bad. Fugaku had never mentioned money going missing, though he had shut down mentally following Sasuke’s murder. But there was still the possibility that Fugaku knew about Sasuke’s shady deals. Mikoto had also said nothing, though once Itachi was old enough to watch Sasuke, she’d returned to work and had access to their shared account. And Shisui wanted more than anything to believe he knew Itachi well enough to discount him as the one making the money transfers.

 

The most condemning bit, the money had begun being transferred right after Sasuke’s 18th birthday, the earliest he would’ve been allowed access to the bank account.

 

All day Shisui had felt eaten alive that he was going behind Itachi’s back like this, but he’d seen how Itachi reacted to Deidara. He wasn’t ready nor willing to hear anything that suggested Sasuke had been keeping secrets. And for now, at least, he wanted to push his own deception out of his mind. He could hear the keycard swipe through the door, and a moment later Itachi pushed his way in with a bottle of aspirin and a cup of half-drunk water. He set them on the counter by the sink before walking over to Shisui.

 

Itachi rested his hand on Shisui’s shoulder, leaning over him to read some of the notes he had scattered about atop the table. Shisui surged with relief that he’d tucked his hypotheticals away in a folder before Itachi had come back.

 

But something else pulled his attention now.

 

The warmth of Itachi’s hand holding his shoulder, and the brush of Itachi’s long, silky, black hair against his neck as Itachi leaned over him. He could feel his own breath catch, aware that he could feel Itachi’s breathing stir against him. It was a closeness they hadn’t shared in over a year.

Shisui felt warmth course through him, and he couldn’t resist turning to look at Itachi. He was awed by their proximity. So close he could feel the heat from Itachi’s body. He didn’t realize he’d been staring until Itachi’s gaze flicked up to him suddenly. He felt bashful having been caught, but he couldn’t look away from Itachi’s beautiful dark eyes.

 

But what surprised him was the way Itachi held his gaze. A long moment passed as they held each other’s gaze. When Shisui finally looked away, aware his face was burning, he could feel Itachi give him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and comfort passed through him.

Not only were they close again, but Itachi had initiated this closeness, and Shisui had never felt more hopeful that their bond could be healed.

 

Shisui’s heart felt full, but the warmth he was feeling began to stifle him. He stood up slowly, chuckling a bit and how woozy he felt when he did. Itachi was eyeing him careful as he did, and it didn’t take him long to realize Shisui was feeling like a burned-out candle, “Do you want some water?”

Shisui’s tongue felt tied so he just nodded, watching Itachi’s amused face as he went to pick up his water cup. Shisui finished it off with two swallows, feeling himself cool down a bit.

 

Itachi watched him with a subtle smile, “What have you been working on?”

Shisui felt a smidge of guilt rise in him again, “I’ve just been organizing everything we know so far, new and old info, that kinda thing.”

Itachi mulled for a moment, “Noticing any patterns or new thoughts on anything?”

Shisui wasn’t about to tell him the truth, “Not yet, but it’s… 2:30 in the morning, I’m probably not as sharp as I could be.”

Itachi hummed for a moment, stepping almost discretely closer until their shoulders touched. He shuffled thoughtfully through the papers for a moment before he turned and squared off with Shisui. He leaned casually against the desk, watching Shisui for a moment.

 

Shisui couldn’t help but feel the stare burning into him, “What?”

Itachi gave him a half a smile, “It’s nothing…”

The twinkle that still glittered in his eyes told Shisui otherwise, “Really, what is it?”

Itachi looked away, but his voice was still warm, “It’s just... been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Shisui had an idea about what he meant, but something inside him wanted to hear Itachi keep talking in that soft, low voice, “What do you mean?”

 Itachi studied him for a moment, “Since you and I were close like this.”

Shisui didn’t know what to say, all he could do was look at Itachi. His heart was stirring, and he had to wonder, how long had he felt this way about Itachi?

 

Had he always had this kind of love for him? Always wanted them to be more?

 

While he’d been lost in wonder, Itachi quietly pushed off the desk and walked towards him. Shisui instinctively stepped back, his back hitting the wall behind him. He laughed rather shyly, but he noticed the blush on Itachi’s face too.

 

Itachi stood only inches away now, looking into Shisui’s eyes as he did, “I wanted to tell you I’m sorry, and… I wanted to ask if we could start over? Or go back to the way things used to be?”

Shisui felt his breath catch, for a long moment he just looked into those dark, serene eyes. When his voice finally came, it was hardly more than a whisper, “I would like that, yeah…”

The temperature between them seemed to rise as accelerated heartbeats passed. Shisui couldn’t tear himself away, Itachi’s presence filled every one of his senses until he thought for sure he’d be overwhelmed. It was like a gravitational force between them, Shisui’s eyes kept trailing down until they rested on Itachi’s lips, well kept with lip balm still shimmering in the dim lamplight. And just when he knew he couldn’t deny his feelings any longer, Itachi closed whatever space was left between them.

 

When he felt the contact of their skin, he felt shock and pleasure course through him. Every hair on his body stood up and he couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped his lips in his pleasant surprise. He withdrew quickly, embarrassed by his own reaction.

 

Itachi moved back a bit, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done that.”

 

Shisui grabbed his shirt gently before he could pull away, “It’s okay,” he could barely bring himself to speak through his bashfulness, “I… liked it.”

 

They paused for only a moment before Shisui pulled him back into a more passionate kiss. He held on to Itachi’s shirt, pulling him in as he leaned against the wall. He was still taller than Itachi, and the natural arch of Itachi’s back to meet the angle of their kiss made him ecstatic.

Their bodies pressed together in a way that left not an inch of space between them. Every shift of weight, every movement Shisui could feel the friction against his body. One of his hands trailed down Itachi’s back until it came to rest right over the curve of his lower back. His other hand wrapped around the back of his neck, his fingers tangling into Itachi’s hair and pulling him harder into the kiss.

 

They broke apart for a moment, Itachi’s eyes fluttered open, looking deep into Shisui’s. His face flushed, eyes round and vulnerable in the trust they held for Shisui.

 

But that trust made Shisui’s heart tear, and all the guilt he’d stored for so long, hidden in the deepest chambers of his heart, began to pour out. And he felt all those feelings again, though all of those thoughts that had cursed his mind that night.

 

And one overwhelming feeling drenched him; guilt.

 

Itachi had reconnected their kiss while he’d been lost, but it only made his stomach turn. He couldn’t stand the trust Itachi was giving him, he knew he didn’t deserve it. All he could think about was his guilt and how he should have been there. He knew he could have done something if he’d been there, at the very least, it could have been him instead.

 

Itachi pressed a little harder, using his tongue and pushing the kiss further. But it made Shisui feel sick. All he could see was that crime scene, was Sasuke lying there, was the knowledge that it could’ve been him instead. He was supposed to stay with Sasuke that night, but he’d been called in to run errands in his early days as a trainee. Sasuke was 18, and Shisui didn’t spare a single thought about leaving for a couple hours. He’d been exhausted, he hadn’t slept the night before, and he’d fallen asleep in his car until he received the call.

 

Itachi had been right to be mad at him, and he’d been right to hate him. Shisui had blamed himself for everything that happened that night, and not a day went by that he didn’t regret with all his heart that he’d taken that call.

 

Pain tore at his heart, and guilt made the bile rise into his throat. His thoughts raced and he felt dizzy, distress seemed to swallow him alive. Panic rose in him, “Get off!”

Itachi was already backing off, obviously confused though he didn’t protest. But Shisui’s mind spun to quickly to slow down in time. He hadn’t meant to hit Itachi, but before he even knew what he was doing, guilt and anger propelled his movements and his hand had shot out. A heartbeat later he felt the connection into Itachi’s face.

 

Itachi had been completely unguarded, he’d stepped back, but not fast enough. He staggered violently before his legs collapsed and he hit the floor. Barely catching himself with his hands as he did. Shisui was wrought with confusion, why had he fallen like that?

 

He didn’t realize until he looked down at his hand. His knuckles bled and were skinned. Shock gripped him as Itachi leaned back, supporting his weight against the wall. Blood streamed down his face from a massive cut in his eyebrow, pouring over his left eye and dripping from his jawline. A few straggling lines streamed down his neck, gathering around his collar bone.

 

But all Shisui could see was that look in his eyes. Something between hurt and anger, but whatever trust had been there in the heartbeats before was gone now.

 

And Shisui felt deep inside of him, it would never come back.

 

…

 

Shisui sighed heavily, looking dully around from where he leaned against the car outside the hotel. He didn’t know how long he’d been out here, hours he guessed. He could hear the morning birds begin to sing, and when he looked eastward, he could see a band of light beginning to appear.

 

In the hours he’d been out here, he’d thought of every and any thing he could say to Itachi when he walked back into the room. He’d calmed down, and he figured it would be best to explain to Itachi truthfully that he’d panicked, and that he’d definitely never meant to hit him. Itachi was reasonable and understanding, and though he knew Itachi would still be angry, he felt faintly hopefully that they could talk it out.

 

As he braced himself to head back inside, he felt his phone vibrate from his pocket. When he looked down at it, he was surprised to see Minato calling him. Surprised, at least, to be getting a call from him at 5:13 in the morning.

 

But what surprised him more was what Minato had to say.

 

“We got a hit on Orochimaru. You two aren’t too far from where he lives. Deidara was right, he’s heavily addicted to pain medications and he lives with a medical aid, which is how we found him.”

Shisui was briefly too shocked to answer, but eventually collected himself, “You want us to head there immediately?”

He could hear Minato shift his weight before answering, “Unless there’s some reason you can’t, then yes. We don’t know how long he’ll be staying in one place. If he’s got a nurse or doctor living with him, he may be able to travel freely and still get access to the drugs he needs.”

Shisui sighed, half excited and half dreadful at the idea of leaving immediately. But hope fluttered to life in him, _maybe this is the perfect opportunity to move past what happened last night, “_ Okay, we’ll be heading there. Thanks.”

 

Shisui had headed back to the room with a certain amount of vigor, but now that he had to actually knock on the door, he’d frozen. And he’d set his keycard down on the table where he’d been writing, and that’s where it remained.

 

He tried willing himself to just go ahead and knock, reasoning with himself that Itachi would be angry at him, but not so angry he’d jeopardize this chance to advance the case surely. Even knowing this, though, Shisui still froze every time he raised his, uninjured, fist to the door. He stood for a long time out there, wondering if he’d ever find the courage to knock on the door, when relief struck him. The room keeper walked up to him, “Forget your key?”

Shisui laughed nervously, “Ah, yeah. And my friends probably still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb him.”

She eyed him for a second, “All right, well,” she knocked on the door for him.

Both relief that he wasn’t the one to knock and panic that Itachi would be opening the door within seconds filled him. The door opened far sooner than he’d expected, and Shisui burned with the thought that Itachi had been aware he’d been standing out there for who knows how long.

 

The greeting was icy and silent. Itachi was tense, Shisui could see the muscles across his shoulders taught with every movement he made. He’d bandaged the wound on his face, but blood still stained his shirt and cuffs of his sleeves from when he’d reached up to cover his injured eye. The room keeper’s eyes widened when she saw him, and her gaze flickered between the two of them standing in anxious silence, “Uh, would you like me to come back later? After I finish the other rooms?”

Itachi didn’t answer, so Shisui swallowed his nerves for a moment, “Yeah, uh, that’ll probably be better.”

She gave Itachi a long look over, clearly worried about letting Shisui near him again when it was pretty obvious who’d injured him to begin with. But after Itachi gave no protest, and Shisui didn’t try to shove his way past, she moved on, leaving them to their cold silence.

 

Everything felt off to Shisui. He could feel the anger rolling off Itachi in waves. It felt like pure rage and it was most definitely directed at Shisui. But Shisui was confused, he hadn’t expected Itachi to be this upset. Of course, he’d expected him to be angry, but he’d been prepared for a burst of anger and yelling. This cold rage that sent shivers down Shisui’s spine and froze his blood wasn’t at all what he’d expected.

He wanted to explain himself, but the words just caught in his throat. So he figured he’d give Itachi the good news first, and maybe break some of this new ice, “Minato called me. He said they got a location on Orochimaru. I guess he’s got a nurse that lives with him who was making purchases and delivering them to a residential address,” when Itachi wouldn’t even look his way he continued, “Minato wants us to head there immediately, so I’m gonna sleep until it’s time to check out and then we’ll head out.”

Itachi let a tense moment pass before replying, “Do whatever you want.”

The seething anger in his voice made Shisui’s pulse race. He was still so angry. Shisui didn’t know what to say, so he just kicked his shoes off and crawled miserably into bed, wishing more than anything he’d have just dealt with his feelings instead of lashing out like he had.

 

He wallowed in his regret for a while until he heard Itachi leave the room. He was stung that Itachi hadn’t said a single word, but also relieved the moment the door shut behind him.

 

He was too upset to sleep, so he just laid awake, counting down the hours until it was time to leave, and praying that he would get a chance to explain himself later.


End file.
